Method of marking the skin or fur of animals

ABSTRACT

A durable marking composition especially suitable for marking the skin of animals, consisting essentially of 4,4bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-alkyl or alkenyl-2-oxazoline and a color body.

United States Patent 1191 Firth et al. [451 Jan. 2,1973

[54] METHOD OF MARKING THE SKIN OR FUR OF ANIMALS [56] References CitedI inven'tbrsi i ffl llii f iiYlfii flii lj j' a k UNITED STATES PATENTSKans. 66212; John A. Frump, 1 Terre Haute, [mi 47 02 2,372,4l0 3/1945Tryon ..260/307 F A C aw is C 2,831,858 4/1958 de Benneville etal.252/8157 X sslgneemmema vents 3,336,145 8/1967 Purcell .;.106/l76 [22]Filed; March 1971 3,519,608 7/1970 Kelley ..117/142 x 1 PP NO-I 126,872Primary Examiner-William D. Martin Assistant Examiner-Theodore G. DavisRelated Application Data Attorney-Howard E. Post and Robert H. Dewey[62] Division of Ser. No. 845,559, July 28, 1969, abandoned. [57]ABSTRACT A durable marking composition'especially suitable for' [5 2]U's' CL mai'king the skin of animals, consisting essentially of [51] IntCl V 6 i 4,4-bis(hydroxy1nethyl)-2-alkyl or alkenyl-2- xazoline [58]Field of Search ..117 142, 3, 141; 252/857; and a 3 Claims, No DrawingsMETHOD OF MARKING THE SKIN OR FUR F ANIMALS This application is adivision of U.S. Ser. No. 845,559 filed July 28, 1969 and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a durable markingcomposition. In a particular aspect, this invention relates to a durablemarking composition especially suitable for marking the skin of animals.

It is frequently necessary and desirable to place an identifying mark oninanimate or animate objects, such as the skin or fur of animals, with adurable marking composition which is resistant to removal by abrasion,exposure to water, or,.in the case of animals, to the natural flow ofperspiration and skin oils. Previously, non-permanent marking of theskin of animals and hydrophilic inanimate surfaces has been effected bythe use of wax crayons containing dyes or pigments or by application ofinks, e.g. a solution or suspension of a dye or pigment in a liquidmedium with other adjuncts which serve to prolong the durability of themarking composition. Such compositions have been satisfactory for shortterm use, especially for laboratory animals, but for long-term use orfor outdoor exposure, it has been necessary to renew the markfrequently. This not only takes valuable time by the technician butthere is the added disadvantage of possible irreparable loss ofidentification. Accordingly a need exists for a more durable markingcomposition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide adurable marking composition.

It is another object of this invention to provide a durable markingcomposition especially suitable for marking the skin or fur of animals.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a durable markingcomposition suitable for use on hydrophilic surfaces.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thedisclosure herein.

It has been discovered that marking compositions formulated with a colorbody, an oxazoline vehicle corresponding to the formula CHzOII where Ris alkyl or alkenyl of from 11 to 19 carbon atoms and, when preferred,an auxiliary vehicle are exceptionally durable. The composition issuitable for use when cast in the form of a crayon or as an ink whendispersed in a suitable liquid medium.

DETAILED DISCUSSION The oxazolines useful in the practice of thisinvention are well known compounds, some of which are commerciallyavailable. The commercial materials are generally suitable. They can beprepared according to the method disclosed by R. F. Purcell, U. S. Pat.No.

3,336,145, by the condensation of tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane withan equi-molar proportion of a fatty acid corresponding to the formulaRCOOI-I where R has the same'meaning as hereinbefore set forth ormixtures thereof. Suitable oxazolines include, but are not limited to,those prepared from vegetable and animal fatty acids such as coconut oilfatty acids, palm oil fatty acids, linseed oil fatty acids, stearic acidand fish oil acids. The preferred oxazoline is obtained from commercialgrade oleic acid where R is principally heptadecenyl.

The oxazoline can be used as the sole vehicle or it can be mixed withother known vehicles which are denoted herein as auxiliary vehicles. Theauxiliary vehicles are especially useful when the oxazoline is alowmelting solid or a liquid so that the crayons lack the desiredmechanical strength. Also the auxiliary vehicles are generally lessexpensive than the oxazoline and tend to reduce the costs of thecompositions. Such auxiliary vehicles include natural vegetable waxes,e.g. carnauba and palm wax, and petroleum-derived waxes, e.g. highmolecular weight paraffins and micro-crystalline waxes, and polymerizedtall oil, all of which are well-known in the art. Suitable vehicles alsoinclude ester amides. The oxazolines are broadly compatible with waxesand any of the waxes of the prior art are useful. Generally thehigh-molecular weight paraffin waxes are preferred.

The ester amides useful as auxiliary vehicles in the composition of thepresent invention are known in the art and were described by P. F.Tryon, U. S. Pat. No. 2,372,410. They are conveniently prepared byreacting an alkanolamine with a monoor dibasic carboxylic acid. Thepreferred ester amides are prepared by reacting2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol with a saturated or unsaturatedmonocarboxylic fatty acid having from 12 to 20 carbon atoms in a 1:2molar ratio and heating under controlled conditions until 2 molarequivalents of water have been eliminated. Suitable fatty acids includecoconut oil fatty acids, palm oil acids, linseed oil acids, oleic acid,stearic acid, and fish oil acids including mixtures thereof.

Ester amides prepared from dibasic carboxylic acid are also suitable forthe practice of this invention. These compounds are obtained by reactingthe alkanolamine with a dibasic acid in a molar ratio of about 1:] andheating until about 2 moles of water are eliminated. A mixture ofcompounds is probably obtained thereby, including polymeric compounds ofvarying molecular weights. Suitable acids include oxalic, malonic,succinic, glutaric, adipic, pimelic, suberic, azelaic, and sebacic. Theester amide prepared from 2- amino-Z-methyl-l-propanol and adipic acidis particularly preferred.

Colorbodies suitable for use in the present invention can be any of thepigments and dyes known to the prior art. When the composition isintended for use on I human or animal skin the pigment should be freefrom adverse dermatological effects and may, be selected from thoseknown to the be suitable. Examples of suitable pigments include, but arenot limited to, carbon black, red iron oxide, titanium dioxide and thelike. Dyes which can be used include, but are not limited to, dyesgenerally recognized as safe for use in foods and cosmetics, such asgentian violet. Many such dyes are known to those skilled in the art.When the composition is intended for use on non-living objects, anypigment or dye can be used.

Generally the crayon-type compositions of the present inventioncorrespond to the following:

Oxazoline 20-60% by wt. Extender -45 Pigment -40 The above is formedinto a crayon, or pencil, by melting with gentle agitation, e.g.stirring, pouring into a mold and cooling. These compositions areopaque.

Because of their generally intense color, dyes are usually used in muchlower proportions than pigments, i.e.'of the order of 1-5 percent.Substitution of a dye for a pigment gives a crayon which leaves asubstantially transparent mark. Unless the dye is very stable, however,it may be bleached in strong sunlight. The dye composition can be usedas an ink by dissolving in a suitable solvent, such as ethanol,isopropyl alcohol, butanol, ethylene glycol or monoethers thereof. Manysuitable solvents are known in the art. In the preparation of inks, theauxiliary vehicle, if any, is selected so that it is soluble in thesolvent.

The compositions of the present invention are suitable for marking anyobject exposed to ambient temperatures, but it is contemplated that theyare especially useful for marking animals. The crayon-type is used asone would use a pencil. The ink can be applied by brush or by a stamp orany suitable method, many of which are known to those skilled in theart.

EXAMPLE 1 The following ingredients were charged to a mixing kettle:

Ingredient Parts by Wt.

2-heptadecenyl-4,4-bis(hydroxy-methyl)-2- oxazoline 40 Red iron oxidepigment 40 Paraffin Wax Heat was applied to heat the contents to about50-70 C whereupon the oxazoline and paraffin wax melted. Mild agitationwas used to form a suspension of the pigment in the melt and the moltenmixture was then poured into a mold to form a crayon. After cooling, thecrayon was removed from the mold.

" The oxazoline 'was Alkaterge-T, manufactured by EXAMPLE 2 Theexperiment of Example 1 was repeated except that the followingingredients were used:

Ingredient Parts by Wt.

Alkaterge-T l 5 Red iron oxide 30 Paraffin 25 Ester amide 30 The esteramide was the reaction product of 2- amino-Z-methyl l -propanol withadipic acid.

EXAMPLE 3 The experiment of Example 1 was repeated except I that thefollowing ingredients were used:

Ingredient Parts by Wt.

Alkaterge-T 40 Yellow pigment 40 Paraffin wax 20 The pigment was ChromeYellow Y-469-l), manufactured by E. I. du Pont de Nemours, lnc.,Wilmington Delaware. The resulting crayon is an effective marking pencilon hydrophilic surfaces.

EXAMPLE 4 The experiment of Example 3 was repeated except that theproportions of ingredients were: Alka'terge-T, 53.6 parts; pigment, 26.4parts; paraffin wax, 20.0 parts.

EXAMPLE 5 The experiment of Example 3 was repeated except that thefollowing ingredients were used:

Ingredient Parts by Wt.

Alkaterge-T 36.9 Chrome yellow 18. l Paraffin wax 40.0 Polymerized TallOil 5.0

A The polymerized tall oil was Emtall-664, manufactured by EmeryIndustries, lnc., Cincinnati, Ohio EXAMPLE 6 An ink is prepared .bydissolving 10 g of 2-hepdadecyl-4,4-hydroxymethyl-2-oxazoline (Wax Ts-254AA, Commercial Solvents Corporation, New York 10017, N.Y.) in g ofethyl alcohol and adding 1 g of gentian violet dye.

EXAMPLE 7 A transparent crayon is prepared according to the procedure ofExample 1 except gentian violet, 1 part by weight, is substituted forthe iron oxide pigment.

EXAMPLE 8 dye or pigment and a durable vehicle, said method comprisingusing as said vehicle, or portion thereof, a

5 6 2-alkyl or alkenyl-4,4-bis(hydroxymethyD-Z-oxazoline used as theentire said vehicle. in an amount of at least zolkpercem y weiaht ofsaid 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the said oxazoline composition,said alkyl or a enylbeingahy rocarbon group having from 1 l to 19 carbonatoms and applying laszoline 2 heptadecenyl bls (hydroxymethyl), 2 X

said composition to said skin or fur. 5

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said oxazoline is

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said oxazoline is used as the entiresaid vehicle.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the said oxazoline is2-heptadecenyl-4,4-bis-(hydroxymethyl)-2-oxazoline.